EDMONTON - Premier Dave Hancock issued a mea culpa to Progressive Conservative party supporters Thursday, saying he is “truly sorry” for damaging Albertans’ confidence in the party and taking their support for granted.

In an apparent attempt to shed the baggage of the Redford era, Hancock said that while the party and government have had a “difficult time” recently, they realize “mistakes were made.”

About 1,300 party supporters gathered for the $500-per-plate fundraising dinner at Edmonton’s Shaw Conference Centre, where Hancock delivered an apologetic first speech to party faithful as acting party leader and Alberta premier.

“We took Albertans’ and your support for granted and acted in a way that’s contrary to our values. And I’m truly sorry that we allowed government to become a distraction from the vital work we’re doing on issues that matter to Albertans,” Hancock said to loud applause. “I’m sorry we damaged Albertans’ confidence in our party. And I apologize for losing touch with our grassroots, for not listening to you the way we should have.

“This behaviour is just not acceptable.”

Alison Redford abruptly resigned as premier March 23 after she came under fire for a string of expense scandals and caucus complaints over her leadership style. She was not seen at the fundraiser Thursday and a video produced by the party and shown before Hancock’s speech avoided mentioning her.

Speaking to reporters after the speech, Hancock said he didn’t know why she wasn’t included.

“She certainly made a contribution … and I have no idea why the party wouldn’t have had her in the video. I would have had her in the video because every leader that we’ve had has played a role in their time and has achieved some good things for this province, and every leader we’ve had has made mistakes and I’m sure I will.”

The Edmonton dinner comes as the party continues to slump in the polls — the latest pegs support at 21 per cent, while the Wildrose opposition’s popularity hovers around 50 per cent.

The Tories have struggled with fundraising in recent years and are attempting to build up the party’s war chest after depleting it during a particularly expensive 2012 election race. Last year, both the PCs and Wildrose took in about $3 million in donations, but the Tories finished the year with $946,000 in debt, while the Wildrose reported $430,000 in net assets.

In his speech, Hancock promised government would learn from its past mistakes by addressing expenses, travel and severances, all of which came under scrutiny under Redford’s leadership following her $45,000 trip to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa.

“We will do a better job of reporting on how we use taxpayers’ dollars and ensuring Albertans see and understand the value of these changes,” he said. “My promise to you is that we’ll work harder than ever to earn back Albertans’ trust we lost.”

He highlighted the government’s achievements going back to the Lougheed era and insisted it would continue with its mandate “despite the ongoing personal attacks and smears we’ve endured.”

He made a distinction between the party’s behaviour and its character.

“Behaviour can be changed. Character is a different matter,” he said, promising to show Albertans how the party has changed ahead of the 2016 election.

“I think it’s important to tell Albertans that we’ve learned some lessons about transparency … We did get some things wrong, but we will demonstrate how we’re changing through our policies, practices and legislation,” he said. “That’s not something the opposition can claim, when it comes to character or behaviour. We’re facing an opposition that believes everything has a fixed price. Price of everything, value of nothing.”

Hancock was selected by caucus to serve as interim party leader while the party gears up for a summer leadership race to elect a new leader by the fall.

While the party leadership race will “inevitably get a lot of attention,” Hancock told the audience the province “still has work to do and will not be distracted.”

To date, former federal cabinet minister Jim Prentice — who attended Thursday’s dinner — and former municipal affairs minister Ken Hughes have indicated their interest in running. Several sitting PC cabinet ministers have said they are considering a leadership bid.

The party announced Thursday members will be able to cast their ballots electronically — online, using a mobile device or with a phone.

The first ballot is set for Sept. 6. If no candidate takes more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second vote between the top two contenders happens Sept. 20.

Any Albertan 14 years and older carrying a PC party membership can cast a ballot. The nomination period runs May 15 to 30.

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